Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman

Occupying a broad tract of Manitoba north of Winnipeg, Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman stretches between Lake Manitoba and Lake Winnipeg, encompassing the city of Selkirk, the towns of Gimli, Stonewall, Beausejour, and Lac du Bonnet, and dozens of smaller communities and First Nations. The riding is renowned for hosting the largest Icelandic-heritage population outside Iceland, centred on the Gimli area, and features landscapes ranging from prairie farmland to boreal forest and lakeshore cottage country.

Candidates

James Bezan (Conservative) — A cattle rancher and former CEO of the Manitoba Cattle Producers Association, Bezan operates a family farm near Teulon. First elected in the predecessor riding of Selkirk—Interlake in 2004, he brought fifteen years of parliamentary experience to the 2019 campaign, having served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence and chaired several House of Commons committees.

Robert A. Smith (NDP) — Smith carried the NDP banner in the riding for the 2019 contest, seeking to challenge the long-standing Conservative hold on the seat.

Detlev Regelsky (Liberal) — Regelsky ran as the Liberal candidate in Selkirk—Interlake—Eastman, making his case for the party's platform in a riding that has traditionally been difficult terrain for the Liberals.

Wayne James (Green Party) and Ian Kathwaroon (People's Party) also sought election in the riding.

About the Riding

Agriculture anchors the riding's economy, with cattle ranching and grain farming spread across the southern and central Interlake. Commercial fishing on Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba supports families in several Indigenous and Metis communities, including Peguis First Nation, Fisher River Cree Nation, and Brokenhead Ojibway Nation. The Gerdau Ameristeel mill in Selkirk provides a significant industrial employment base. Tourism draws visitors to Grand Beach Provincial Park, Hecla-Grindstone Provincial Park, and the annual Icelandic Festival of Manitoba in Gimli — first held in Winnipeg in 1890 and staged in Gimli since 1932. The Narcisse snake dens, home to the world's largest concentration of red-sided garter snakes, attract naturalists each spring. German and Ukrainian heritage communities are well established throughout the riding. French-speaking residents cluster around St. Laurent on the shores of Lake Manitoba. Federal issues of concern in 2019 included Lake Winnipeg water quality and algal bloom management, grain transportation logistics, rural broadband connectivity, and infrastructure funding for the riding's many small municipalities and rural communities.